September 21, 2010 · 00:50:16
Between a Word, a Kiss, a Gaze and an Embrace: The Kabbalistic Perspective on the Sukkah. When G-d Hugs UsFor more than three millenia, during the seven days of Sukkos, we eat, drink, feast, schmooze, relax, read, and sleep in a hut known as a Sukkah. This structure consists of walls and a roof composed of material that grew from the ground, like bamboo, straw or branches. How many walls does the Sukkah require? According to Jewish law, a Sukkah must have two complete walls plus a third wall that may even be one handbreadth long. If your Sukkah has three or four complete walls, that's wonderful; but the minimum requirement is two walls and a tiny piece of a third wall. Why does the law dictate this exact requirement for the Sukkah walls? And what really is the spiritual and psychological significance of spending seven days in a hut on your porch or in your backyard? The great Kabbalists teach that Sukkos is the holiday, the celebration, of G-d loving and embracing the Jew. The Sukka is essentially G-d’s hug. There are two forms of love—reciprocal love and unconditional love. I may love you because of what I receive in return for my relationship with you. You may be wise, deep, sensitive, kind, beautiful, humorous, challenging etc. - qualities expressed in and through your face, your eyes, ears and mouth and general look - and I love you because of these or other tremendous qualities that enrich my life. Yet there is a far deeper love – unconditional, unquali